Will the Saudi newsmagazines run covers that say “Why Do They Hate Us” – or, more accurately, “Why Do We Hate Us”? . . . And it makes me wonder: They stick the shiv in the ribs of their richest and most enthusiastic backers.

Certainly seems irrational to our eyes – though the loss of life is tragic, anything which convinces the Saudis to get serious about fighting terrorism is in the strategic interests of the US. But al Qaeda has a different target audience and different measurements of success than we do. Targeting the Saudi Royal Family is nothing new for them. They are their primary enemy, even more than the US. They are really speaking to their own radical constituents. This attack shows the flag, shows they are still active and shows they are still fanatically committed to their fanatical cause.

Posted by: The Mad Hibernian at
November 10, 2003 11:46 AM

It's intimidation, pure and simple. And it works because they know that most people will take the easy route of accomodation rather than the hard one of resistance.